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The Cartographical Significance and Legacy of the International Map of the World (IMW)

LEE, SANG-IL 1,  Cho, Daeheon 2

1서울대학교
2가톨릭관동대학교

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ABSTRACT

International Map of the World (IMW) is the human beings’ first global mapping project which aimed at compiling a general-purpose map series composed of almost a thousand of topographic map sheets covering the whole landmass in accordance with a common scale (1:1 million), a common map projection(Lambert conformal conic projection), and a common mapping specification, but ended in failure in 1989. IMW is indeed a gigantic event in the history of cartography which can be seen from the fact that it was recognized as one of the best maps in the 20th century and one of the greatest maps in the whole history of cartography, and the year 1891 when Albrecht Penck officially proposed the project was conceived of as the beginning of the modern cartography. The cartographical significance of the IMW project is threefold. First, IMW became the exemplar for many of the ensuing global mapping projects as the Digital Chart of the World and Global Mapping. Second, IMW provided a standard mapping specification for topographic maps (especially with respect to map projections and hypsometric tints). Third, IMW offered a foundational framework for topographic map indexing. The IMW indexing system which was originally designed to denote the IMW grids each of which is 4° of latitude and 6° of longitude has become the predominant convention for topographic map indexing in many countries. This, the most prominent IMW legacy, is exemplified by the topographic map indexing systems practiced in such countries as South Korea, Japan, Australian, United States, Russia, and Canada.

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